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The Birdcage
The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Elaine May, and starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest. Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1978 Franco-Italian film La Cage aux Folles by Édouard Molinaro starring Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi. Plot Armand Goldman is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his partner Albert, an effeminate and flamboyant man, plays "Starina", the star attraction of the club. They live together in an apartment above The Birdcage with Agador, their flamboyant Guatemalan housekeeper who dreams of being in Albert's drag show as well. One day, Armand's son Val (born after Armand had a one-night stand with a woman named Katherine) comes home to visit and announces that he has been seeing a young woman named Barbara, whom he intends to marry. Although unhappy about the news, Armand agrees to support his son. Unfortunately, Barbara's parents are the ultraconservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise. Kevin, who is co-founder of a conservative group called the Coalition for Moral Order, becomes embroiled in a political scandal when his co-founder and fellow senator is found dead in the bed of an underage African-American prostitute. Louise and Barbara convince Kevin that a visit to his daughter's fiancé's family would be the perfect way to stave off bad press, and plan to travel to South Beach as soon as possible. Barbara shares news of her father's plan to Val; to cover the Goldmans' truth, she has told her parents that Armand is straight and a cultural attaché to Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of being forced into the closet, but agrees to play along, enlisting the help of friends and club employees to redecorate the family's apartment to more closely resemble a traditional household. Albert initially wants to use his skills as a drag artist to play Val's mother, but Val and Armand fear that the trick will not work, and instead convince him to pose as Val's uncle. Armand contacts Katherine and explains the situation; she agrees to the farce, promising to come to the party and pretend to be his wife. Armand then tries to coach Albert on how to be straight, but Albert's flamboyant nature makes the task difficult. When Albert realizes his plan will not fool anyone, he takes offense and locks himself in his room. The Keeleys arrive at the Goldmans (who are calling themselves "Coleman" for the evening to hide their Jewish heritage) redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador, who is passing himself off as a Greek butler named "Spartacus" for the night. Unfortunately, Katherine gets caught in traffic, and the Keeleys begin wondering where "Mrs. Coleman" is. Suddenly, Albert enters, dressed and styled as a conservative middle-aged woman. Armand, Val, and Barbara are nervous, but Kevin and Louise are tricked by the disguise. Despite the success of the evening, trouble begins when the senator's chauffeur betrays him to two tabloid journalists, down-and-out Harry Radman and his photographer, who have been hoping for a scoop on the Coalition story. While they research The Birdcage, they also remove a note that Armand has left on the door informing Katherine not to come upstairs. When she finally arrives, she unknowingly reveals the deceptions. Though Armand and Albert scramble to find a new cover story, Val instead confesses to the scheme and identifies Albert as his true parent. Kevin is initially confused by the situation, but Louise both informs him of the truth and scolds him for being more concerned with his career than his family's happiness. He agrees to the marriage, but discovers that the paparazzi are waiting outside to take his picture. Albert then realizes that there is a way for the family to escape without being recognized: he dresses Kevin and Louise in drag, and they use the apartment's back entrance to sneak into The Birdcage, with Armand introducing them as a part of the club's nightly act. They all dance out of the nightclub door and reach safety, preventing a disaster. Barbara and Val are married in an interfaith service, which both families attend. Cast * Robin Williams as Armand Goldman * Gene Hackman as Senator Kevin Keeley * Nathan Lane as Albert Goldman * Dianne Wiest as Louise Keeley * Dan Futterman as Val Goldman * Calista Flockhart as Barbara Keeley * Hank Azaria as Agador Spartacus * Christine Baranski as Katherine Archer * Tom McGowan as Harry Radman * Grant Heslov as National Enquirer photographer * Kirby Mitchell as Keeley's chauffeur Category:1996 films Category:1990s comedy films Category:1990s LGBT-related films Category:American comedy films Category:American films Category:American LGBT-related films Category:American remakes of French films Category:Cross-dressing in American films Category:English-language films Category:Films about weddings Category:Films based on adaptations Category:American films based on plays Category:Films directed by Mike Nichols Category:Films set in Miami Category:Films shot in Miami Category:Interfaith romance films Category:LGBT-related comedy films Category:Screenplays by Elaine May Category:United Artists films